Recently we got treated to a rare 1991 Audi V8 quattro 5-speed to ponder. Though it had nearly 190,000 miles, it certainly looked to be in pretty good shape. At first glance, $6,500 for one of these complicated older Audis sure seems outrageous and (in many ways) is, but considering the rarity it wasn’t outlandish to see that price.
The manual left the V8 quattro option list in 1992, but to make up for it there were quite a few upgrades. Chief among these was the new ABH 4.2 liter unit. The increase in displacement netted 276 horsepower and 295 lb.ft of torque; though they were far from light and all mated to the 4-speed automatic here, the 92-94 models were far from slow. A revised exhaust now had tips that came straight out, and while the rolling stock looked the same on the forged BBS RG wheels, the suspension uprights brakes changed to be shared with the S4 – no more floating rotors. Inside there were minor changes to the dashboard, dual airbags, a transmission cooler and the revised climate control unit shared with the C4, along with standard Connolly leather. The sticker price rose accordingly to nearly $60,000.
Perhaps it was turbocharged manual S4, with its modern design, that steered customers away from the V8. Or perhaps it was competition outside of the marque. Regardless, few of these 4.2 V8s sold; 270 1992s, 170 1993s and a scant 78 ’94s left dealerships. Late V8s are hard to find twenty five years on, especially in clean condition:
